Decal FAQ & Guide

Your Guide to Model Car Decals – The What, Why & How

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The Decals we apply to our custom Hot Wheels and Diecast Cars is called waterslide decal because of the type of paper it is printed on and the way it is applied. Waterslide Decal Paper is made of two layers, a thin top layer on which the actual images are printed and a white paper backing layer, and when placed in water for a matter of seconds these layers come apart. Simple yes but there’s a couple of things to keep in mind….

CLEAR Vs. WHITE Decal Paper

Since the decals are printed on a layer that separates from the white backing underneath we have the option of choosing whether this top layer is clear or white.
If the decal paper is a CLEAR version then anything you see in white on the decal sheet product examples will appear clear – well, not at all technically.
The obvious main advantage of using a clear backed decal over a white backed one is the fact that you don’t need to be precise when cutting around the small logos and lettering associated with racing livery and motor racing in general. So Far So Good?

When using a WHITE version of the decal paper you get a slightly brighter and clearer image (due to the background being solid) and you also get anything printed in white actually appearing. For this reason I have made sure that decals that are best suited to a white backing are grouped with other decals of the same nature.
Obviously I have done the same for decals requiring a clear backing – which to be honest is the majority of them anyway.

TIP: If you have a decal with white in or on it and it’s printed on clear decal paper then simply apply a small amount of white paint to the section of the vehicle where you know it will show through. Decal appears white where it needs to and rest of decal covers edge of your painting. Problem solved.

How to Apply Your Water-Slide Decals:

Note that instructions on how to apply and care for your decals will come enclosed with each and every order.

Cut out your desired decal and place it into a small cup or bowl of water.
Wait 10 – 30 seconds.

Using Tweezers, remove the decal from the water.
You may notice the back separating from the decal image already.

With your (clean) fingers, gently pinch the decal and slide your fingers apart
This forces the backing paper to slide off AND leaves the decal resting gently on your fingertip

Take the decal from your finger tip with your tweezers.
make not of which way around it is so you can apply it easily – and correctly!

Gently apply the decal to your custom hotwheels – roughly in the spot it needs to be.
Once the decal is applied you have a minute or so before it doesn’t want to budge

Using a Cotton bud (Q-Tip) or your finger gently manoeuvre the decal into the desired position.
I prefer the finger because it is more precise but as a habit try not to touch the decal too much as it can taint the decals quality

Once in position gently wipe away any excess water droplets and run it over the surface of the decal.Some of the smaller decals will move when you try this step so consider them ready for ‘clear coat’

With the decal in position (and assuming there aren’t more to come) apply Spray Lacquer or Clear Coat to the surface.Clear Coat is a spray lacquer that locks the decal in place and sticks it down permanently.

You are done! – Reattach the interior and wheels and enjoy your new custom creation with it’s awesome decals.

Note: Clear Coat Spray Lacquer comes in Semi Gloss and Full Gloss. The Semi Gloss should be called Semi (Semi Semi Semi Semi) Gloss because if applied to a gloss coat of paint it will almost completely remove the luster and shine of your wonderfully glossy paint job. I use and always recommend sticking with Full Gloss Spray Lacquer – reserving the semi gloss for the times when I need to decal a custom with a matte finish….which hasn’t happened yet.

How to Remove Car Decals

It’s one thing to be able to apply decals to your model car but what if you made a mistake and want to remove car decals from your latest build? Or even worse, what if the original model you are working with came from the factory with horrible decals (also known as Tampos) and you want to know how to remove these decals before you apply your own quality decals from My Custom Hot Wheels

In order to be able to safely and easily remove car decals from your model you need to make sure the area is clean and that all paint and polish that you may have been using is clear from the surface and you are working with a clean model. Next thing you are going to need is some Nail Polish Remover.

Using cotton buds (Q-Tips) or a clean cloth wrapped around your fingertip dip the end in the nail polish remover and then apply to the body of the plastic or diecast model that you are working with. If you push too hard you will also start to take off the paint as well and it will also take away paint from the edges like door trim and headlight areas – so be careful! If you want to remove car decals put on by the company – a decal application that is known as Tamping or Tampos – hence the name. Removing these is the same process as removing car decals with the only difference being that tampos or factory applied decals are much more stubborn and require a bit more elbow grease.

For a full description and guide on how to remove Tampos from Hot Wheels and other diecast cars follow THIS LINK HERE

Caring For Your Model Car Decals

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As the final step above mentions, it is imperative that you cover your decals with clear lacquer within a few hours of applying them to the vehicle. The natural glue within the decal paper only works for so long and if you don’t apply clear coat then you will find all your beautifully placed decals starting to peel up at the ends. A good single coat of spray lacquer is more than enough to make sure your decal stays where it is supposed to for the life of the custom.

Speaking of life – if you want your unused decals to last then make sure you store them in a drawer and away from direct sunlight and heat sources like your HDD under the table. Other than that there is not much more to know when it comes to applying and maximising the effects of 1:64 scale Hot Wheels Racing Decals. All that’s left to do now is check out the range of decals and race livery currently available…

Sorry for missing this comment for so long?! – yes of course my friend – I ship worldwide and accept Paypal (who in turn will accept Visa failing a Paypal account). I also offer free worldwide shipping on all orders over $50AUD

Hello, I have decal paper but my question is, I have a 1:24 scale diecast that I need to put some lettering on the doors to replicate a movie car. Wont you see the edges of the decal paper itself once its applied to the car? If so, do you have something that would do what Im looking to do?

Its hard to clearly explain what Im tslking about. LoL. Ok, think of it like your business say on your actual car that you drive you want to put your business name address and phone number on the door.

Thats what Im looking to do with this model but if I print all lines of text as one decal Im agraid you will see the edges of the decal, and of couse the letters are to small of print to try and cut out each individual letter?

Did I explain that clear enough and if I can use regular decal print paper donyou have something that can make my model look like it came with that lettering from the factory, like it was part of the original tampos that the factory used? Thabk you in advance for all your help!

hi Brandon, apologies for the delayed reply – you know how the holidays can get 😉
Regarding your concern, I am happy to report that none of the above concerns will be relevant if you purchase CLEAR backed decals from the store. The clear decals are printed on a transparent sheet so anything you see white would appear see through. This means you can enjoy writing and flames and other detailed factory looking tampos without having to worry about cutting them out exactly or seeing the edges of the decal when complete.
Check out my Volkswagen Tanker-back custom to get an idea what I mean. That thing is covered in VW and flaming livery but you cannot see the edges or where I have cut the decal out

Hi Alex,
I am interested in both the Sparco & RedBull 1:18 scale sticker sheets for my custom SimRig build (no, won’t be for model cars)and was wondering if you could possibly show a pic/s of these with a ruler or tape measure along side so I can get an idea on the size of each element on the sheet and whether they’ll be suitable for my requirements.
Thanks in advance
Seb

I am having issues with the littlest thing of allowing attachments within comments so you can do just that but for now have to humbly ask that you email me your requirements to alex@mycustomhotwheels.com

What are the measurements for these decals? I just want to know, I want to try and print some of my own decals, I just want to know what are the general measurements for 1:64 decals and what they are for the tops of slightly larger vehicles like dairys and drag buses. Thanks!

Hi,
Looked all over your site and others about buying custom wheels where the axles are completely covered and the the axles do NOT stick out. The custom wheels/rims you offer look good except the **UGLY** axle sticks out and looks cheap. Are there any 2 piece rims you sell? This way, the axle is covered up similar to the high end HW collectibles or high end Kyosho or M2…

I only have the evo and GTR parts available in 1:24 – although when it is enlarged there isnt much room for the Eclipse and RX7 livery anyway. If you are happy with that then just specify at checkout that you want 1:24

How do I determine the right size of wheels to put on each hot wheel car? I want my cars to roll even though they’re for display only. I see some say cars won’t roll good on certain cars and don’t want to have a car that won’t roll.

A lot of my customs are rocking Alex’s decals for good reason. High quality details and diversity. Anything I’m wanting to work on has already been sorted, printed & ready for posting. Recommend to anyone in the bizz for all things shiny and nice. #cthulhu_customs @cthulhu_customs

Sorry for the delayed reply Mike – but if still interested then sure can do that. email me alex@mycustomhotwheels.com with more info and I can give you a quote (but no more than $24 for a custom sheet)

either pinch the ends with pliers and it flattens the tip and prevents it sliding back out. Another method I use is to put a small drop of superglue on the end of the axle and turn it in your fingers over and over for a minute and then it dries evenly around creating like a tiny matchhead sort of block that holds wheel in place

Greetings magnificent ppl.
I’ve just purchased 2 sheets of decals, been customizing for about 6mths.
Just wondering how long it takes to ship to our great state of Qld.
Thank you for being an awesome company for us customizes.

Hi, Can you make me four number decals for my 1955 Mercedes 1/18 Formula 1 diecast car? I need a red number 2 inside a white circle. They need to be 3/4 inches around. I included a photo. Let me know. Thanks, Tony

Hey Alex, greeting from NZ! I’m keen as to buy a few sheets of the 1:64 scale sheets.
Having a hard time picking a JDM/JDM racing sheet or two that I like…
Is it possible to have half of one of the sheets and half of another?
If not it’s all good – just thought I’d ask before locking in an order.
Cheers, Jesse